Queen Elizabeth the Second has outlived fifteen different U.S. presidents, eighteen Prime Ministers. Still, even the respected and superannuated monarch is not going to live forever.
The Queen is ninety years old, but there are already preparations being made for England’s “most disruptive event in the last seventy years.” After all, most of the people currently living in Britain have never known life without her.
Besides needing to print new currency, and changing sigils on the helmets of the police and a different national anthem, larger changes are expected to take place.
The Queen’s death could very well mean the end of the British Commonwealth. The looming end of the queen’s reign has caused speculation in countries like New Zealand, where there is talk of replacing the Union Jack on the flag to a silver fern.
Some unexpected occurrences may take place as well. Prince Charles may need to change his name and The Queen’s funeral and coronation are to become legal holidays. Comedy shows will also be canceled.
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is expected to be attended by over three million people and the Union Jack will fly at half mast until the procession. The casket is supposed to be open to the public so that the people can pay their respects. Depending on the circumstances surrounding her death, the public may find out about it at different times. Britons will undergo a twelve day mourning period and condolence books will be present at embassies.
The funeral is supposed to be the most protected event in the world. The police, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force will all be armed and on the lookout for possible terror threats to both Her Majesty and the people mourning in the streets. If she were to die in the middle of the day, for example, all television and radio programs would be interrupted to inform the people.
The media will go into a frenzy and it will be covered by every news outlet on the planet. The British media will not get any special treatment, everyone will find out about her passing at the same time. The British people will likely be asked to go home and Parliamentary action will be halted. In fact, British media such as BBC and ICN has already started practicing how they will deliver the news to the world.
Her Majesty’s passing will undoubtedly leave the world shaken and a new, unfamiliar chapter in British History will begin.
